Variable-length codes are used to encode many types of data. For example, the popular block-based Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) video compression standard encodes video data as variable-length symbols for transmission or storage. In addition, many types of variable-length codes, such as Huffman codes, are lossless.
Typically, variable-length encoded data is transmitted serially. Therefore, the transmission, reception, and decoding of such data are relatively time consuming as compared with data that can be transmitted, received, or decoded in parallel.
To decrease the transmission, reception, and decoding times, circuit hardware has been developed to process such data. That is, the architecture of such hardware is configured to efficiently implement the variable-length decoding or encoding process. A problem with such hardware, however, is that it is typically designed for a specific type of variable-length code. Therefore, hardware designed to encode or decode data according to one type of variable-length code may be inefficient or unable to encode or decode data according to another type of variable-length code. But many bit streams such as some MPEG bit streams include bit segments that are respectively encoded according to different variable-length codes. Therefore, decoding hardware often must include multiple circuits each designed to decode bit segments according to a respective variable-length code. Unfortunately, this often increases the size, complexity, and cost of the decoding hardware.
Another alternative is to program a processor to perform the variable-length encoding or decoding. Therefore, for bit streams using more than one variable-length code, one can change the processor software “on the fly,” and thus perform all of the encoding or decoding with a single processor. Unfortunately, because the architectures of most processors are not optimized for variable-length encoding or decoding, such processors are relatively slow when variable-length encoding or decoding data. Therefore, it is often difficult or impossible for such processors to variable-length encode or decode data in real time.